Switzerland: Online voting in national selection started

On December 15, the Swiss TV public will get to choose the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest entry in a big TV show, to be broadcast live from the Bodensee Arena in Kreuzlingen. Each of the three public TV broadcasters, representing the German, Italian, and French speaking parts of the Central European country respectively, will get to nominate candidates for this event.

Next Tuesday, on October 23, we will already know the nominees of the Italian-speaking part. From 21:00 CET, the channel Rete Tre will broadcast a regional preselection show live from the Living Room club in Lugano. From a total of seven entries, a combination of televoting and the vote of a professional jury will pick two to go forward to the final in Kreuzlingen:

• N2L - Smoke Out
• Vanda Palma - La Farfalla Va
• Theo - My Wonderful Life
• Sohaila - But Who
• Marilise - Nobody
• Chiara Dubey - Bella Sera
• Ally - Catch Me

Out of those seven, six entries were chosen by a jury, with the one remaining - Sohaila - getting a wild-card after winning the talent show Fattore voce. Chiara Dubey (pictured) already took part in last year's Swiss final and came third with Anima Nuova.

Meanwhile, the online selection for Kreuzlingen organised by the broadcaster SF has already been ongoing since summer. This week, finally, the online voting has started. You can listen to no less than 179 entries which have been sent in and which comply with the Eurovision Song Contest rules, and you can also vote for your favourites on http://www.eurovisionplattform.sf.tv/, the official platform of the Swiss national selection.

Among the participants is, once again, Lys Assia! Just like last year, the first ever Eurovision winner has teamed up with Eurovision legend Ralph Siegel, who composed and produced the cross-over song All In Your Head for her and the rap group NewJack. Will they manage to qualify for the national final yet again? We shall find out after 29 October, when the online voting will officially cease!